Myself and Snack Box stayed with our friends Rercy (she of CheapEats writing fame) and David on their farm in West Wicklow last week, and both gorged ourself on Dave’s amazing, all-purpose, good with everything sauce. The recipe is so simple. Take about 250ml extra virgin olive oil, add 2-3 cloves of raw garlic (depending [...]

We’re delighted to be joined again this week by our regular guest columnist, nutritional therapist Heather Leeson from Positive Nutrition. This is Heather’s last column for a few months as she has gone on maternity leave, but we’ll be joined by Lisa in her absence. Congratulations on the new arrival and good luck from the [...]

What with all the burgers, barbeques, and bread, I’ve been making a load of relishes and dips lately. These two are very quick and easy. I packed some of these relishes into two sterilised Kilner jars and gave them to my dad as a Father’s Day gift. He was hugely skeptical of this “made-up day” [...]

Sorry, I know we’ve been a bit quieter than usual on CheapEats today, but that’s because I’ve been getting together details of this full dinner party. Hope it was worth the wait… Have a great weekend, Peter Bring a few heads together, get everybody to make a dish (starter, main, side or dessert), and you [...]

Lamb is to Easter what ham and turkey is to Christmas. It’s back in season and at its best. On the Sunday, I’ll go home to Mum and Dad’s for a big roast, joined by my two sisters and their expanding brood. But there’s plenty more to do with lamb than just roast it. The [...]

When we decided to write about stale bread as our ingredient of the week, Peter immediately bagsed bread and butter pudding and stuffing. Which left me pretty much stumped. That’s all I’ve ever made with stale bread, and most of the time I just give it to the ducks in the Grand Canal. Luckily, my [...]

Old age is turning the snow to slush, but we’re still stuck here. AA Roadwatch informs us that Sallygap, Roundwood and the Wicklow Gap are all impassable; we live somewhere between the latter two. A neighbour says that he went to the village for supplies and was sliding all over the road. Tomorrow, we’re going [...]

In Marks and Spencer today, I noticed that 225g fresh cranberries are half price, reduced from €4.19 to 2.09. At Tesco, these festive fruits are priced €3.19 for 300g. Or €2.49 for 340g at Superquinn. I’m making a few of my own sauces and chutneys to bring to my parents’ this Christmas, including this cranberry [...]